The Dementor's First Kiss
by dark pookha
Summary: Thanks to my beta, reallyginny. Luna receives the Dementor's Kiss at the Battle of Hogwarts, but resists the Dementor.  Luna needs help to rid herself of the Dementor's effects.  Harry has to unravel his feelings for both Ginny and Luna.
1. Prologue: The Battle of Hogwarts

_The Hunger had returned. It never remained sated for long. This battle had brought such feasting for me and my brethren, but still the Hunger lurked. I need to feed! Now that the Dark Lord has changed us and we can feed on all strong emotions, it should be easier to assuage the Hunger. Why can't I be sated?_

_Suddenly, coming from the building, is the one who we are to watch for. That's the human we are to destroy. "__Destroy his soul__," the Dark Lord told us, "__but leave his body. His body is mine to destroy.__" I have tasted it before. I can taste it still. I can feel my siblings on all sides as I glide up to it._

"Expecto Patronum!"

_ The feeble Patronus that the human produces is no more than a small sting; not enough to prevent me from feeding on its soul. I will devour it. This one is powerful enough to sate the Hunger. I move to it and am ready to feed. Its despair is a delicious taste, it has experienced so much pain, seen so much suffering; more than most of the pitiful humans here. It has seen death and destruction firsthand and I will make it taste that despair over and over again as I devour it. I will feed on its pain. I will feed on its suffering. I will feed on its happiness. I will drain every last bit of consciousness from it. It is mine to feed on.__  
_

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!

EXPECTO PATRONUM!

EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

_ Three Patronuses strike from nowhere. The human has accomplices hidden. The pain of being hit with three full Patronuses at once. The indescribable pain of those concentrated happy memories; damaging me, ripping at me. Their shining thoughts driving me off; killing me. They dare to try to drive me off! They dare to raise my wrath! The Hunger arises full strength, but I can't feed. Patronuses on each side are hemming me in, falling on me, tearing me apart. I must escape. Using the last of my strength, I burst out of the mound of Patronuses covering me and glide back to the edge of the woods. _

_As I watch, the one I wanted moves off with the others standing guard. Stymied in my attack, I cannot follow._

_ Wait! One of the humans is following, separating from the others. I will feed on it, devour its soul, and send it screaming into the darkness forever. The torment it will experience will be everlasting. _

"There's one right at the edge of the forest here_," _it says_._

_I pounce before it has time to react more strongly, putting my mouth over its mouth. I can feel its soul pouring out, but something is wrong. The memories, the despair and anguish aren't coming. Instead, horrible burning pain! It's not possible for it to hide the pain from me: it's not possible! This creature, this female has only happy memories. _

_ No, wait. It does have painful memories, but they're hidden. It has sealed its pain away. I can sense the pain. I must go deeper. _

_As I delve deeper into its soul, I can see the doorways it has locked. This door houses a painful memory. If I can open it, I can break the human's hold. _

_It knows I'm here. How can it know? How can it sense me? I try to move through the door, but it resists me as if I were solid. Knowing my body is dying, I try to force my way further, redoubling my mental assault on the door. _

_Suddenly, the door opens. The room beyond is filled with grey mist. Filled with pain. It draws me in. As I enter the pull increases. A trap! How can it draw me in? I can feel it devouring me, draining my soul. NO! This is wrong; it cannot be happening like this! How can any mere human resist me? I am Dementor! I am being devoured now; flowing into the human's body.__  
_

"Luna?"

The voice came from a long way away. Slowly, she recognised it as Dean's.

"Luna, are you okay?"

"What happened?" she asked as Dean grabbed her hand and helped her up. "The last thing I remember, I was looking for the Dementor that got away."

"I don't know," he stammered. "I saw a Dementor giving you the kiss from over by the castle, but it had disappeared by the time I got here."

"We'd better return to the castle," she said, standing and starting to look through a pile of leaves. Dean helped her search and found her wand first. Luna took the wand gratefully and stowed it behind her ear. Dean reached over and took the wand from behind her ear and firmly put it back in Luna's hand.

Luna put the wand back over her ear and said, "I don't think I'll need my wand for a while. I saw Harry heading toward Voldemort's encampment in the Forbidden Forest. I think it will all be over soon."

Dean said nervously, "Please, humour me. Constant vigilance you know."

Luna pulled her wand back out with her right hand and leaned on Dean heavily.

Neither spoke again as Dean let Luna lean on him and they headed back to the castle. She seemed strangely even more pale and frail than she had been just moments ago. Dean could not rid himself of the image of Lavender's still-twitching body and vowed it would not happen to Luna.

_Wait, what's that? __A thread of memory. __I can follow that thread. Ah, sweet pain, I can feed on this. These walls can't hold me long. I can use this thread of pain to feed on the human. I am Dementor, none can stand against me._


	2. Lavender's Funeral

Harry stretched out on Ron's bed, shivering slightly. He knew he had to get up, had to face Lavender's funeral, but he just couldn't work himself up to it. All of the ceremonies and funerals had drained him.

"_Why should I still be alive when so many who supported me are dead?"_

Receiving the Order of Merlin after attending the funerals of his friends and mentors seemed wrong. He felt empty receiving the medal and plaque. Even now, he could barely remember stumbling through the speech Hermione had written for him. All the adulation pressed on him by admirers felt like so much fake praise. Just two years ago, he was being vilified for daring to say Voldemort had returned, and now he was being praised for destroying Voldemort.

He longed for all the funerals and ceremonies to be done with so he could spend his summer recovering at the Burrow. "_Just two more funerals after this_", he thought. "_I've__just got to make it through the joint service for Tonks and Remus and then Fred's." _

Harry heard Mrs. Weasley's voice from behind the door, "Harry, may I come in?"

Harry answered, "Yeah, okay." He pulled the blanket up tighter around himself as Mrs. Weasley entered the room.

Mrs. Weasley was already dressed for the funeral. Harry flipped on his side, so she couldn't see his face and answered, "I can't bear it. I can't stand another funeral."

Mrs. Weasley moved to the other side of the bed, and knelt in front of Harry, looking him directly in his eyes. "I know it's hard going to all these funerals," she said softly. "But you must be brave and attend. Your presence shows that these funerals aren't for nothing. You let people know if we band together we can stand against evil." She leaned over Harry and gave him a motherly kiss on the forehead. "Your presence comforts the families. Think about how Lavender died."

"She died fighting for me. I don't know if I can face her family."

"Harry, let me put it another way. When she was alive, did she stand with you?"

"Yes," Harry answered.

"Then you need to be brave and stand with her now." She kissed him on the forehead again, stood and left, leaving the door open behind her.

Lavender's funeral seemed to drag on forever. Harry looked at his watch as the second hand seemed to ooze slowly around the dial. He brought his attention back to the podium where Lavender's father was talking about how she stood with the angels and was in a better place. When Harry heard that, he looked at Luna sitting just a few rows in front of him, her head against Dean's shoulder, one hand moving repetitively as she fidgeted with a bead of some sort. Harry thought about what Luna had once told him. She was so certain that she would see her mother again and that Harry would see his parents again. Harry remembered seeing all of his loved ones through the powers of the Resurrection Stone. He knew Luna must be right and that there must be some kind of afterlife. He smiled for the first time in weeks, picturing Fred, an eternally young Fred, with laughter always at the ready.

Harry jerked in his seat slightly, feeling suddenly cool, even though it was a warm day. He started to shake, his skin turning clammy. Harry knew this feeling. He knew that a Dementor was near. Carefully, trying not to disturb Ginny, he reached into his pocket and grabbed his wand. He looked around the small church, trying to find the source of the strange feeling of despair, but he couldn't see any sign of a Dementor. Finally, scanning the seated wizards and witches, he locked eyes with Luna, who had turned her head slightly to gaze in Harry's direction. Her eyes completely filled with black. He gasped as the feeling of dread intensified and slumped in his seat. His head drooped and he lost eye contact with Luna.

_There's so much pain here, so much lovely pain to feed on. The Hunger recedes and I can more clearly sense my prison. This thread of memory, I can use it to feed on the human. _

_Wait, that's the one I'm to destroy! I can see it through the human's eyes. I will feed on it, destroy its soul! I struggle to escape, but the door bars my way. I can wait: I can wait and feed on this human until I can escape and devour my prey._

Ginny turned her head slightly and whispered, "Are you okay?"

Harry tried to nod, but felt too drained. "I'm fine."

After a few seconds, the dread lifted and Harry raised his head again to look at Luna. She looked back at him curiously, her blue eyes filled with wonder. Harry felt a jolt pass through him. He could swear that Luna had looked directly into his soul. Dean firmly but gently took the bead that Luna had continued to fidget with and put it in her pocket. Ginny followed Harry's gaze and grasped his hand more tightly. Harry felt a fine tremble pass through him at the sight of Dean holding Luna's hand. He was shocked to discover that he was jealous of Dean. Ginny noticed his trembling and repeated her question.

"I told you I'm fine," Harry whispered back.

Ginny pulled away, lifting her head from his shoulder.

Finally, the service for Lavender ended. As soon as possible without seeming rude, Harry made his excuses. Ginny told him she was going to return with Ron and Hermione. Harry left the small chapel for the vestibule and was attempting to Disapparate back to the Burrow; when he was stopped by the simple expedient of having his wand arm grabbed.

"Leaving so soon, Harry?" asked the dreamy voice of Luna.

"Yeah, I've got to get back to the Burrow and start helping George with Fred's wake," Harry said.

Luna looked at Harry for a long time, with her eyes that seemed to see into his soul, making his knees feel weak and his stomach flutter. Finally she spoke.

"You're probably tired of everyone saying you can talk to them about how you feel, but you know that any time you want to talk, you can talk to me." She reached out and embraced him fondly. "I would love it if you visited me later this summer. You could help replant the Dirigible Plums."

Harry felt a great surge of warmth at Luna's compassion. Somehow she always understood what he was feeling. Somehow she always knew the right thing to say. Never demanding, never needing, never prying, just being his friend.

Harry cleared his throat. "I might take you up on that. I'm sure we'll all visit you this summer. We have to decide whether we're going to return to Hogwarts and finish out our seventh year."

"I wish you would come back," Luna said. "We could all be in seventh year together."

Harry stammered, aware of Luna's female presence in a way that he had never been before, "I… I don't know for sure yet. There are too many memories there now."

"Whatever you decide, Harry, I'm sure you'll make the right choice."

Suddenly Luna grabbed him in a tight embrace and whispered into his ear, "And I'm sure it will involve doing what's right for your true love."

Luna disentangled herself from his arms and walked back into the chapel.

"_Just another weird statement from Luna, nothing to worry about", _Harry thought as he turned to Disapparate.

"Oh Harry, sit down and have some hot chocolate", Mrs. Weasley exclaimed. "You didn't return with Ron and Hermione?"

"No, they were still making their rounds at the service. Ron knew Lavender better than the rest of us, and Hermione won't leave Ron's side now."

"And Ginny?"

"She'll be coming back with Ron as well," Harry said wearily, taking a seat at the table.

Mrs. Weasley pulled a chair out and sat across from him.

"Harry, I hate to ask this of you, but have you heard about George's plan for Fred's funeral?"

"Yeah, he's planning some kind of wake, I guess. I'm supposed to help him, but he's playing it awfully close to the vest."

Mrs. Weasley looked down at her mug, keeping her head lowered as she spoke. "I want to make sure that Fred gets a proper funeral. Do you really think a wake's appropriate?"

Harry thought for a few seconds before speaking, "George says this is what Fred wanted. I guess they talked about it while they did their underground broadcasts. I can't think of anything more appropriate. We've got to start celebrating what we **do** have left, and loving those who are still around."

Strangely though, as he said those words he wasn't thinking of Ginny's cute smile and flaming hair, but rather the delicate oval of Luna's face.


	3. Harry's Angst

Harry woke up the next day with a feeling of dread. With Tonks' and Remus' joint service to look forward to in the morning and Fred's wake to go to in the evening, it looked to be a busy day full of people asking about his feelings and wanting to talk to him about his defeat of Voldemort.

_Why can't people just leave me alone and leave me to my own grief. I don't need all this intrusion. I don't always need to explain myself to everyone._

Sighing, he got up quietly to avoid waking Ron.

He walked down to the kitchen, expecting to find it empty, but was surprised to see George trying to work an obviously bodged-together espresso maker. 

"Good morning, George," Harry said, yawning hugely.

George jumped at Harry's unexpected entrance, but recovered quickly and looked up to see who had entered.

"Morning, Harry," he said, turning his attention back to the machine.

Harry watched fascinated as George loaded a hopper with ground coffee and connected it to the espresso maker. The hopper had been made from a metal funnel and was obviously not part of the original machine. George pushed the start button. Nothing happened.

Harry moved to the icebox and grabbed a bottle of milk. As he filled a glass, he asked, "Are you sure you don't want any more help with the wake?"

George again answered without turning around, "No, you've helped plenty. Just using your name got the party planners to lower their fee and it really expedited matters with the band." George turned and looked at Harry slyly. "Besides, the only thing left to finish up is illegal: I didn't think you'd want to be involved in that."

Harry drained his milk and put his glass in the sink to be washed later. "If you're sure; I don't mind helping with more, and I know Ron wouldn't either."

George had turned his attention back to the espresso maker. He muttered to himself as he opened a panel on the back of the machine and did something to the inside of machine with his wand that Harry couldn't really make out.

"Why don't you use your wand to make coffee like your mother does?" asked Harry.

George closed the panel with a bang and kept fiddling with the dials on the espresso maker, "I've never gotten the hang of conjuring food from raw ingredients, and trust me; you wouldn't want to drink my coffee." He twisted the dial on the leftmost side one quarter turn and pushed a button on the front near the nozzle. "Now, let's see if that's got this thing working." A horrible gurgling came from deep within the machine somewhere. The sound ceased. Suddenly a horrible, noisome, amber coloured liquid squirted directly into George's crotch, completely missing the mug perched under the nozzle.

"ARRRGGGHHH!" screamed George, with a volume that Harry had only heard from him on the Quidditch pitch. Harry watched astonished as George grabbed the machine, lifted it over his head and flung it to the floor. It hit a table leg on the way down; flinging the mug perched under the nozzle into a wall. The crash of the espresso maker's destruction reverberated throughout the kitchen. The nozzle ended up pointing directly at George and it sprayed him in the face as it gurgled and twitched in its mechanical death throes.

Mrs. Weasley came running down the steps into the kitchen in her nightgown with her wand out. Seeing no immediate danger, she lowered her wand, surveyed the scene before her and asked, "George, are you okay?"

"No! I'm not okay," he shouted as he stormed off up the stairs in the direction of the bedrooms, his face dripping with half-brewed coffee.

"Oh dear," she exclaimed. "Harry, could you please clean up the mess in here?" She moved quickly about the kitchen, picking up a clean mug and digging out some instant coffee from deep in the pantry. "I'm going to go talk to George, he's been under a lot of stress lately, trying to organize Fred's wake and manage the joke shop." She didn't wait for a response from Harry before walking away, incanting, "_Aguamenti Caldo_," quietly, producing a gentle stream of hot water into the mug.

Harry set about cleaning up the mess with some towels he found in the cupboard by the sink. He felt a bit strange about what he had just witnessed, never having heard George swear like that before. Even when George and Fred had attacked Malfoy and his cronies after the Quidditch match, he hadn't sworn like that, but he had still had Fred at his side; he hadn't yet lost half of himself. Harry tried to imagine what that must be like as he cleaned the puddle. The closest thing he could come up with was if he lost Ron, Hermione, or Ginny. He stopped with the sodden towel poised over the last of the spilled coffee as another came to him: Luna. As he wiped up the coffee, his mind drifted to Luna and their conversation at the end of his fifth year. She had understood more how he felt about Sirius' death than either Ron or Hermione had.

Harry had just finished cleaning up the puddle around the broken machine when Ginny came walking down the stairs, chasing thoughts of Luna from his mind. Even dressed in pyjamas with cartoon penguins on them and her flaming hair still rumpled from sleep, she still looked lovely. They hadn't talked much lately, something that filled him with regret. He kept putting off talking to her, not knowing how to approach her about continuing what they had started. So many things had changed, and she had her own grief to contend with, that he simply felt like he was intruding on her feelings. Lost in his thoughts, he realized that Ginny was looking at him quizzically and that he must not have heard her asking him a question.

"Sorry, Ginny, I was wool-gathering," he responded. "What did you ask?"

She descended the last few steps into the kitchen. "I asked what happened here. Did one of Dad's crazy Muggle machines blow up again?"

Harry moved to the sink and began wringing out the towel. "Er, something like that. George was trying to make espresso and when it squirted hot coffee on him, he destroyed it. Your Mum went off to help him out, I've never seen him so worked up."

Ginny sighed. "Honestly, Harry, you'd think Mum never showed him how to make coffee with his wand. Why don't you help me with breakfast? Everyone else should be up soon."

The next half hour went by in a blur of cooking bacon, eggs, oatmeal and toast. Harry had never before tried cooking with his wand, and was amazed at Ginny's ability to multi-task. She could watch a griddle full of bacon, pour orange juice precisely into glasses, and make coffee at the same time. Harry barely had the bread toasted by the time Ginny was done with the rest of the meal. She even had the good grace not to laugh when Harry set the oatmeal on fire trying to heat it, although from the way her eyes were crinkling it was a struggle. Harry realised how comfortable he was with Ginny, working next to her, just being near her, and he resolved to talk to her more about their relationship tomorrow, after all the funerals were done with.

Ron wandered down the stairs, with Hermione following behind, her bushy brown hair even more frizzy from sleep. Ron's eyes brightened when he saw breakfast ready.

"Excellent, Ginny," he exclaimed. "Did you do this all yourself? I know that Harry couldn't have helped. He can't even boil water."

Ginny stood up straight, an oatmeal-covered serving spoon in her hand and said, "I'll have you know, Ronald Weasley, that Harry made the toast and oatmeal."

"Yeah, and I only lit the oatmeal on fire once," Harry muttered.

They were all still laughing and stuffing their faces when Mr. Weasley came down the stairs with Mrs. Weasley and George following closely behind. George's eyes shone brightly and the skin underneath them looked as if it had been rubbed raw.

"Thank you for making breakfast, Ginny. I really appreciate the extra help you've been giving me lately," said Mrs. Weasley. She moved around the table and embraced each of them in turn. She sat down and George and Mr. Weasley sat down as well. They all exchanged small talk as they ate, avoiding the topic of funerals.

Finally, when everyone had eaten their fill, Mrs. Weasley said, "We really need to all get bathed and ready to go to the Lupins' service. Your father has arranged Ministry cars, and we're to receive an escort of Aurors. They've heard there might be a disturbance at the service."

The rest of the morning passed in a flurry of activity. Harry barely remembered bathing and getting dressed in his best black robes. When they had all gathered and were waiting for the cars to arrive, Harry couldn't help but feel his melancholy return. They all looked so somber standing around like a murder of crows. Even Ginny, who almost never cried looked a little puffy and red around the eyes.

When the cars arrived, Harry got into a car with two Aurors. One was a large raw-boned man about fifty with close-cropped grey hair, wearing the tartan of a regimental Scot. His deep-set eyes had large dark circles under them. The other, wearing standard Auror's robes, was a very thin nervous young man of about twenty-five, with very dark skin, eyes, and hair.

"Now Harry," said the large Scot in a surprisingly deep voice with a strong Scottish burr, "I hear from your professors at Hogwarts that you might want to become an Auror someday."

"That's right, sir. I still want to hunt down the remaining Death Eaters and bring them to justice. All of the witches and wizards claiming they were under the _Imperius_ curse can't be telling the truth. Some of them truly had to be Death Eaters."

The Scot held out his hand for Harry to shake. "Son, my name is Conner MacKinnon and I'm the new head of the Aurors. Contact me when you've finished your N.E. and we'll put you through the testing. If half of what I hear from your professors is true, then there should be no problem with the testing. You've already accomplished a great deal."

"Thank you, sir." Harry looked down at his feet, embarrassed. He raised his face, looked Conner in the eyes and spoke in a firm voice, "I don't want any special treatment because of what I did. I want to be evaluated just like anyone else, on my merits, not because I was The-Boy-Who-Lived."

The rest of the ride passed in an uncomfortable silence. Finally, they arrived at the small chapel near Andromeda's house where Ted Tonks had been laid to rest several days before. Harry waited for the two Aurors to make sure the area was secure before getting out, earning an approving nod from MacKinnon.

The inside of the chapel was stuffy with the morning heat and the press of bodies inside it. All the surviving members of the Order of the Phoenix were there, along with a group of young Aurors who had worked with Tonks. There were also a surprising number of Hogwarts students there to say goodbye to Remus, although when Harry searched the faces he didn't see Luna or Dean. Harry's eyes were drawn to Teddy fussing in the arms of his grandmother.

_Another child with no parents_.

He couldn't help but blame himself for that fact.

_It's my fault that Tonks and Remus died. It's my fault that Teddy has to grow up with no parents just like I did. I promise to be the best godfather I can be. I promise to be there for you, Teddy._

A wizened old wizard stood up in front of the caskets and began to speak.

"Nymphadora Lupin and Remus Lupin died protecting the world from evil beyond imagining, fighting for what they believed in. As long as the forces of right have people who will stand up for what they believe, the forces of evil cannot prevail. Nymphadora Tonks was born a Metamorphmagus, and was able to use her natural talents to become an Auror, sworn to protect the wizarding world from the Dark Arts. Remus Lupin survived a werewolf attack, battling with the baser nature of the beast that lurked within him, and managed to remain a good man anyway. He taught our young wizards and witches how to defend themselves, and without his teachings, there would be far fewer of our children still living. But Nymphadora's and Remus' greatest gift is there in the hands of his grandmother. It will be our children who ensure the safety of the world after we are dust."

Teddy was awake and watching the proceedings with a quiet intensity quite unlike a baby. As Harry watched, Teddy's hair changed from black to light brown and his eyes lightened from hazel to a very piercing light green. It was only at the viewing later, as Andromeda shuffled by the caskets that Teddy began to cry.

The rest of the service passed without incident and they all got back into the cars to return to the Burrow. Conner and the other Auror guarded the perimeter until everyone was safely in the cars and then leapt in and they sped away.

"Looks like our information about a disturbance was false," stated Conner. "Better safe than sorry though with that many Ministry officials and children there."

Harry just nodded and looked out the window, sinking farther into grief.

As soon as they arrived back at the Burrow, George tore off his black robes revealing jeans and a T-shirt beneath that read "Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes."

"I've got to leave for Hogsmeade right away to finalize preparations. Make sure you're all there at 6 o'clock." With a loud crack, he turned and Disapparated.

Harry changed out of his robes into jeans and a plain yellow T-shirt, then went out to the garden and sat with his back against a large rock. He was still sitting there brooding when Ginny approached.

Ginny had changed from her funereal black robes into a worn, but comfortable looking pale green floral sundress. She carefully arranged her dress as she sat down next to Harry, pressing her hip against his as she sat. Harry put his arm around her and she snuggled in closer to him. They sat in comfort for a few minutes until Ginny turned towards Harry. Harry stared straight ahead, unseeing, and she had to reach across her body with her free hand to turn his head. Harry looked down at her and met her gaze. Her face softened as he leaned in. They kissed softly for several minutes, Ginny opening her eyes occasionally to check on Harry.

Finally, Harry pulled away and said, "Ginny, I don't know what to say." He turned slightly and grabbed her right hand with both of his. "I—I wanted so much to see you while I was off with Ron and Hermione, but I didn't want to expose you to the danger. I would sit up at night and look at your name on the map. Usually you would be in the girls' dormitory. I imagined I could see you sleeping there peacefully. I didn't realise just how much I would miss you."

Ginny tightened her grip on Harry and said, "You don't have to say anything; I understand. Hermione told me all about the hunt for the Horcruxes and the danger that you all were in. I know that you were just trying to protect me, but I want you to understand something." Her eyes narrowed and her grip grew painful.

"I don't want you to protect me. If you're in danger, I want to be with you. If something happened to you and I could have prevented it, I would never forgive myself. Please, promise me; no more secrets, no more trying to protect me."

Harry removed his hands from her crushing grasp, disentangled their enmeshed fingers as he pulled away, and leaned back heavily on the rock. He lowered his head, lifted his hands and covered his face. "I promise, Ginny; no more secrets, no more trying to protect you."

Ginny gently pulled his hands from his face and removed his glasses. She moved until she was sitting across his lap. She put her face over his and kissed away the two small tears that had formed in the corner of his eyes.

They sat in comfort, enjoying being near each other. Harry's eyes began to droop and he fell asleep. Ginny slid back to the ground, out of Harry's lap, careful not to disturb him. She laid her head on his shoulder again, and lulled by the warm sun and Harry's rhythmic breathing, she too fell asleep.

Molly nudged Arthur, who had been looking over his espresso maker ruefully. "Come look out the window," she said.

Arthur moved to the window, not knowing what to expect. When he looked out, all he saw at first was the overgrown garden and a few gnomes that hadn't hidden quickly enough to escape his sight. Finally, he spied what Molly had called him over for: Ginny's hair draped over the large rock, and her head nestled into Harry's shoulder.

"I think they've fallen asleep, poor dears," whispered Molly.

Arthur nodded, pulled Molly closer up to his side and whispered back, "I think you might be right, Mollywobbles."

They both pulled the kitchen curtain closed as their lips met.

Hermione was searching Ginny's room for a book that Ginny had borrowed when her eyes caught movement from the garden. Ginny stood shouting at a confused looking Harry, who was sitting with his back against a large rock and his glasses missing. Harry held out his hands placatingly and turned his head. Hermione noticed the large red mark on his cheek, recent evidence of having been slapped. Hermione reached down to open the window, but discovered it had been painted shut. She quickly scored the paint with her wand. When she looked back out the window, she saw Ginny storming off toward the house, her wand out and pointed back toward Harry. Hermione wrenched the window open just in time to hear Harry shouting.

"I said I'm sorry, Ginny. I didn't mean it."

Hermione heard Ginny's voice from right under the window. "We said no more secrets! We both agreed! _Petrificus Totalus!"_

A jet of light shot out and Harry toppled, his muscles locked. Hermione gasped and ran out of the house to the garden, passing a distraught Ginny on the stairs.


End file.
